Love and Misadventure
by mirajens
Summary: High school sucked. It was a universal truth, and whoever said these were supposed to be the best years of your life was probably drunk or delusional. — Naruto HS!AU
1. a question

**Love and Misadventure**

by_ slowrabbits_

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"Do you love me?" I ask. In your hesitation I found my answer.

—**Lang Leav**, _Love & Misadventure_

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_**KIBA**_

He woke to the sound of rain pelting the glass of his bedroom window.

His room was cast with a gloomy air, lending him that Monday morning drag. It was time for the first day of school, and Kiba could think of a billion reasons to stay at home rather than sit for eight hours in a classroom listening to his teachers drone on about one mundane topic or another. With school came the promise of the daily stress and time that was slowly taking its toll on him.

He sighed and got up anyway.

No less was expected of him.

* * *

_**HINATA**_

She walked out of the registrar's office with her schedule in one hand and hesitance in her step. Nervous about the first day didn't even begin to cut it on how Hinata Hyuuga was feeling. She thought that she'd at least have one friend on the first day but Neji quickly abandoned her the moment the first bell rang.

And so she was alone in navigating her way to homeroom.

* * *

_**INO**_

She strode through the halls of Konoha High; high ponytail swishing about behind her and the short hem of her skirt brushing against the back of her thighs every so often. She could feel eyes on her, appreciation and intrigue rolling off of her for no particular reason other than she was beautiful, rich and the popular. She was magnetic and alluring; people wanted to know her, naturally.

The busy crowds parted for her, and she didn't even need to say a word to make it so. That was the beauty in wearing her power as seamlessly as she did any outfit. Her presence demanded so much attention that she didn't need to ask people to move, they simply subsided. It was a compelling feeling, but also a lonely one.

Who wanted to be able to say that people feared her more than they loved her?

* * *

_**SAKURA**_

She spied her ex-boyfriend, Sasuke, by his locker, a dark look on his face and a redhead on his arm.

Sakura knew of the girl, of course. Red hair, bad eye sight and an evil grin; Karin Uzumaki was a shitty bitch tit who still thought Boyce Avenue and unprotected sex were cool. She was one of Sasuke's top groupies and a huge factor in the controversial Sasuke-Sakura Breakup 2k14. Sakura remembered Sasuke saying how annoying Naruto's cousin was, but what stopped Sasuke from 'hanging out' with anyone with a vagina?  
Seething, Sakura slammed her locker door shut and walked away.

* * *

_**NARUTO**_

The first time he laid eyes on _her _ was on the first day of senior year at homeroom.

She was a stunner, definitely, with milky eyes that refused to look up from the toes of her Italian loafers, a waterfall of straight, inky hair, skin that looked supple and flawless and a body that was evidently rocking even in her baggy cardigan. Goddamn, she was fine. She looked so different from all the women Naruto knew, and damn if that didn't appeal to him.

"Sweet God," he whispered to himself, loud enough to have his best friend, Sasuke Uchiha, spare him a glace. "Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?"

"Do you even know how to spell 'beautiful'?" Sasuke joked, his tone dry.

"Teme, I'm serious." Naruto whined. "She looks a bit like Neji, don't you think? Except she's prettier."

"You think? They're cousins, of course they'd look similar." Sasuke replied as he inspected his cuticles. Perfect, of course. Just like him.

"She's the cousin Neji said was transferring here?" Naruto was not even deterred by the fact that hitting on the fearsome Neji Hyuuga's cousin would result in tasteless repercussion. Like castration, maybe. "She's... _wow_."

Naruto had never been one who was shy with his emotions so he stared at the beauty with his jaw agape and his heart in his eyes.

"You're hot!" He suddenly cried out while the principal, Tsunade, was mid introduction. His bold statement was greeted by laughs from his classmates and a blush from the new student. He grinned cheekily when she finally looked up to meet his eyes.

* * *

_**TENTEN**_

"Ino," Tenten whispered to her seatmate. "I'm gonna ask her to sit with us at lunch."

The blonde, unable to take her eyes off the new girl, nodded. "I have to know where she got her skirt from. I have to."

* * *

_**SHIKAMARU**_

Ignoring his laughing classmates, Shikamaru rolled his eyes at Naruto's bold declaration. Some days, he really wished he could outright tell the woman _he_ loved how he felt about her, but no, Shikamaru Nara was never going to be so audacious.

So there he sat on his desk, his head down on his hands, looking for all the world as if he was preparing to fall asleep in class yet , but in his vision was the back of Ino's head.

* * *

_**SASUKE**_

He could feel Sakura glaring daggers at him all the way from her seat. It was getting annoying, all of Sakura's passive-aggressive bullshit. Didn't she remember that it was _she_ who broke up with him in the first place?

Not that it mattered, since Sasuke had his mind made up that they were getting back together by lunch time. No one walked away from actual sex god Sasuke Uchiha.

* * *

_**NEJI**_

Neji watched his cousin amble over to the empty seat next to his. She was already causing a fuss in the form of Naruto Uzumaki, and it wasn't even second period yet. Jesus. He told her going to Konoha was a bad idea because it was a host to horny pests like Naruto who would only hurt her in the end. And God knew Neji didn't have the time and patience to look after someone so fragile.

And now she was his fucking responsibility. Unbelievable.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I finally sucked it up and made a multi-chapter fic. I know that technically this isn't my first multi-chapter, but this is the first one to have a plot divided by chapters ok. As you can see, this is an AU!High School fic. So tread softly. This will either suck hardcore or turn out okay.

I know nothing is clear with this chapter yet (it being vague was my very intention), but this is just the intro of all the involved (?) characters so calm your beautiful souls. this story will include multiple pairings, featuring a new favorite, ShikaInoKiba. I've been meaning to do a ShikaInoKiba love triangle for some time now because I ship it like hell, and ultimately I decided to make it a high school AU because those are like crack to me. Not to say that this will be exclusively ShikaInoKiba. Naw gerl, this will have multiple pairings (SasuSaku, NaruHina, NejiTen, ShikaTema and maybe some more) and ergo multiple plot lines. So please be patient with me. I struggle with explaining long plots (which is why it would be helpful if you reviewed and let me know how I am doing) and trying to keep it relevant. If you know me at all, you know I veer away from writing multi-chapters because they can never sustain my interest but this is me trying.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto. The title is borrowed from Lang Leav's Love & Misadventure. Quote from the summary is Kami Garcia's Beautiful Darkness. I also do not think Karin is a shitty bitch tit.

_**Please don't add this to you Favorites/Alerts if you're not going to review.**_


	2. a betrayal

**Love and Misadventure**

by_ slowrabbits_

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_I cannot undo_  
_what I have done;_  
_I can't un-sing_  
_a song that's sung._

_And the saddest thing_  
_about my regret―_

_I can't forgive me,_  
_and you can't forget._

—**Lang Leav**, _Love & Misadventure_

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_**SASUKE AND SAKURA**_

"Get back together with me." Were the first words Sasuke Uchiha muttered to Sakura in weeks. He stood by her desk, a bored look on his beautifully sculpted face and apparently, no apologies for all the hell he put her through the past two years since she made the mistake of taking up the position of his girlfriend.

"Go stick your dick in a goat's ass, Sasuke." Sakura said angrily as she clutched her books to her chest, feeling strangely cornered. She had nothing else to say to him; she would give him nothing more because he would surely only turn it all around and use it to upset her. She had been hurt, which was why she would do anything and everything to ensure she was never put in that position again. Sakura knew it was naïve to think that she could steel herself against love, but it wasn't so impossible to believe that she could protect herself from Sasuke.

"That's not a very Catholic thing to say, Sakura." He made a clucking noise with his tongue, but Sakura knew that it was only to mock her. Typical of him to never take her seriously.

"Yeah, well, cheating is not a very catholic thing to do either, so I guess we're both going to hell, huh?" It was pride that made her sit down on her designated seat instead of walking away from Sasuke and crying in the bathroom like she really wanted to, and she was pleased with her progress.

Sensing his ex-girlfriend's discomfort, Sasuke sat on her desk because he was just the type of guy who liked making things worse for everyone just because he could. Sakura had to wonder whatever made her fall in love with this cold, heartless boy with all his deception and indecency. Perfect Sakura Haruno faced her biggest mistake as she fought violently against the onset of tears. All she ever wanted to do these days when it came to Sasuke was cry. _She_ broke up with Sasuke. _She_ left his stupid, unfaithful ass. _She_ walked away from his neglect and coldness. She knew all that perfectly well, but how come it felt like she didn't get to leave him with her dignity intact?

His answer was a grunt. "You know you're being ridiculous. We make sense, Sakura. We're not meant to be broken up."

Had she once been so blind that she bought into his bullshit? "Sasuke, you're a shitface who cheated on me without remorse. Not just once, or twice, but countless of times." Her heart swelled at the words that came out of her mouth, but she wasn't sure that was a good thing. "You know I'm not dumb enough to just look the other way while you contract several sexually transmitted diseases from your very poor choice of easy whores." A bitter smile played on her lips even as she felt her insides coil. "I'm not the same moron I was a few months back. I'm done playing games with you." She made a shooing gesture with her hands. "I'm sure the legendary Sasuke Uchiha will have no trouble finding some low-standard slut who would suck his dick and tell him he's pretty. So why don't you run along now before you ruin my day any further."

Just as she said that, the bell for third period rang and Asuma came through the doors with an armful of History books.

Scowling, Sasuke rose from his perch. "We're not done talking, Sakura."

God, she hoped they were.

* * *

_**NARUTO AND HINATA**_

By fifth period, Naruto managed to convince (read: bully) Lee out of his chair so Naruto could sit next to Hinata. For a long while, the blond said nothing to the new student as she fidgeted uncomfortably under his scrutiny. He sent her a smile that Ino said made him look like a retard but Hinata found it way cute.

Finally, he spoke. "I'm Naruto. Do you wanna be my friend?"

His bluntness surprised Hinata, but was she really that shocked hearing this from the boy who proclaimed her "hot" in front of all her new classmates the first moment they met? "H-hello. I'm Hinata."

Naruto lifted his armchair and scooted closer to Hinata. "Yeah, I know. Neji and Tenten have been talking about you the whole summer. And then Tsunade-baa-chan introduced you at homeroom. And you're really pretty so I'll never forget your name. Believe it!"

Hinata's blush intensified. Just as she was about to mutter thanks for the compliment she was sure she did not deserve, he interrupted. "Also, Sakura-chan told me to apologize for sexually harassing you at homeroom. But I didn't touch your lady parts or anything so I don't really get what I did to sexually harass you."

The air felt thinner. Good lord, the conversation was not one Hinata thought she'd be having on her first day of school, or ever in her life for that matter. "N-no, it's fine—"

"And I know this is totally out of the blue, but do you maybe want to go out with me for dinner tonight?" Naruto asked, pink dusting his cheeks as he meekly scratched at the back of his head.

"Like a date?" Hinata clarified, her eyes going wide.

In true trundere fashion, Naruto looked away and flushed harder. "I mean, I guess we can call it that if you want to."

Hinata was pretty sure she'd never been asked out on a date before. Attending an all-girl's school certainly didn't help her chances of that. "I'd love to, Naruto-kun, but I have a doctor's appointment after class. I don't think I'll be able to make it to dinner."

The blond visibly deflated. "Oh."

"I'm sorry." Hinata murmured, feeling bad. "I'm free next week, though, if that's okay."

Naruto grinned from ear to ear. And Ino said he didn't have game.

* * *

_**EVERYONE**_

It was lunch time, and everyone who was anyone sat gathered in the cafeteria's longest table. Small talk was abundant and everyone wanted to know everything about each other's summer, as if they hadn't kept in touch. With them was the new girl, Hinata Hyuuga, seated next to Naruto who babbled to her animatedly about the workings of Konoha High. Ino was seated next to Choji, subtly putting her food into his plate. This did not go unnoticed by Shino, who talked sports with Kiba. Sakura sat at her new spot at the farthest end of the table as opposed to her old position beside Sasuke, understandably upset and unwilling to be anywhere near her ex-boyfriend. Neji and Tenten, also known as KH's Brangelina, sat with their heads together discussing the AP English introduction.

"There you are!" Ino cried by way of greeting when Shikamaru finally made an appearance and sat on the empty spot beside her. She placed both hands on his cheeks, dragged his face to hers and kissed him. "Hi. Happy first day."

Shikamaru only smiled at her that smile boys in love smiled. It made Hinata's romantic heart swell. "How long have you two been together?" Hinata timidly asked, watching the couple. Ino's stared at Hinata in disbelief, then at Shikamaru, before laughing.

"Silly, Shikamaru and I aren't dating. Ew." The blonde's nose scrunched up as she sipped her diet coke. "I mean, I blow him sometimes, but we're, like, strictly friends."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Don't be crude, troublesome woman."

A beet red Hinata gasped. "I'm so sorry for assuming—"

It was Sakura who waved her apology off. "Don't worry about it, Hinata-chan. No one else understands it either." Was it worth it to explain the confusion that was Shikamaru and Ino? Sakura herself couldn't comprehend their relationship fully, since Ino told her that she and Shikamaru just had sex, but they were just friends. But really, what friends with benefits deal turned out well for both parties? Countless times found Sakura trying to tell as such to her best friend, but of course Ino wouldn't listen. She had her own world, and as much as Sakura wanted to protect her from the hurt she was bound to feel in the end, she couldn't tell Ino what to do.

Ino scoffed. "Two consenting adults having great sex. What's the big bafflement about it?"

"Alright, don't bust a vein, Ino," Tenten conceded, "Hinata's too innocent for your wanton beliefs."

"I do not want you to defile my cousin with your lasciviousness." Neji said, backing his girlfriend up. "She was raised to be decent."

"And you're saying I wasn't?" The whole table voiced a resounding 'no'. It only made Ino grin. "Whatever. I haven't asked Hinata to watch porn with me, so calm your self-righteous man titties, Neji."

"You haven't asked her _yet_," Shino muttered.

"Anyway," Choji chirped, turning all the attention back to Hinata. "What school did you come from, Hinata?"

Still red from all the sudden concentration she was getting, Hinata fidgeted in her seat. "Um, from Ame Academy."

"Oi, Sasuke, didn't you used to go there?" Naruto asked through a mouthful of ramen.

"You moron, Ame is an all girls school." The Uchiha sneered, tempted to remind Naruto that they've been attending the same school since Kindergarten.

A wolfish grin took over Naruto's features. "Exactly my point."

Sasuke took the pickle between his sandwich and flicked it at Naruto.

"Bet he did go there just to get some pussy." Kiba snickered. Many faces turned to see Sakura's features harden.

"Jesus, Kiba, have some fucking delicacy." Tenten scolded him, feeling sorry for her pink-haired classmate. She knew full well how much Sasuke's womanizing hurt Sakura and although Sasuke was also her friend, there was no way in hell Tenten would condone cheating of any kind.

The table was silent after that.

* * *

_**SHIKAMARU AND INO**_

In all honesty, Ino's little rant about the Strictly Friends Who Have Sex bothered Shikamaru all the way to his last class. He knew what he got into the very first moment Ino urged him into bed with her; she'd made it all perfectly clear in her no nonsense tone. "It's just sex, Shika, okay? No romance, no strings and no hard feelings." It was not something one would easily forget, especially not Shikamaru since Ino never lost the chance to remind him of it before mad horniness took over. He thought he was fine with it, he really did. The first time it happened he successfully deluded himself into feeling nothing but that spike of lust. The second time was almost as easy. The progressing encounters, not so much. Shikamaru, after all, was only human.

He knew he didn't have the right to be upset. It wasn't fair to Ino that he was feeling the way he did

* * *

**AN:** I'm sorry this chapter was not a lot, the original copy got deleted. As I've said many times, I type all my stories on my phone (inspiration just doesn't come to me when I'm on my laptop) and a couple of days ago, my phone did this weird thing where it completely wiped out all my music, pictures, movies, ebooks and word files. Like, shit, you don't know how many unfinished stories I had in there. Prayer circle for my broken soul.  
Anyway. It was just today that I picked myself out of my funk, sucked it up and typed the chapter to the best of my memory. And did I ever tell you guys my memory sucks ass? The original doc was nearing 8,000 words.

I know the past two chapters suck, but I promise things are going to be more clear starting in the next chapter (which you don't have to wait long for, seeing as its half-done). Please review and let me know how I'm doing, it would be greatly appreciated.

PS: Don't worry about me changing the pairing. I'll just feature the main pairing every chapter, because it seems fair that way.

_**Please don't add this to you Favorites/Alerts if you're not going to review.**_


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